This easy gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe makes the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had, gluten-free or not! They're topped with a smooth maple cream cheese icing and are perfect for sharing with family and friends. This easy recipe makes 7 soft rolls and is easily made dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan or turned into a double batch!
These gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the perfect way to open the pumpkin season and impress your friends! This punch of Fall flavor is perfect for birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Friendsgiving breakfast or brunch recipe.
Since Fall is the start of cinnamon roll season altogether, it's also a good time to start refining your technique for a winter full of tasty gluten-free cinnamon rolls.
For more gluten-free pumpkin breakfast recipes, check out my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread, Flourless Pumpkin Pancakes, Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donut Holes, Pumpkin Chia Pudding, and Paleo Pumpkin Donuts.
I also have a great Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer to enjoy along with this recipe! If it's still warm out, you can make Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate to enjoy with the creamer.
For more seasonal gluten-free pumpkin recipes, try my Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Crustless Pumpkin Pie, Savory Pumpkin Stew, Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream, or Pumpkin Curry with Chicken.
How to make it (with photos)
Use these ingredient notes and step-by-step photos to guide you as you make amazing gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
You need 12 ingredients to make these amazing gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Psyllium husk fiber powder
Psyllium husk powder replaces gluten so that the dough will actually stretch when you knead it! It keeps the pumpkin cinnamon rolls soft and easy to manage by absorbing and holding the liquids.
While my traditional gluten-free cinnamon rolls have instructions to omit this ingredient, I'm not sure if it would work with this recipe since the pumpkin makes the dough even softer.
Pumpkin Puree
Use pureed pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, since it has additional additives that can negatively affect the flavor and texture of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls. I used Kroger brand for the batch in these photos.
Don't use pumpkin purees that are very watery, since it can make the dough more challenging to work with. Libby's brand usually makes a nice thick canned pumpkin puree that I like for many of my pumpkin recipes.
Cream Cheese
This ingredient is for the icing only. I think cream cheese icing goes very well with gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls! For a vegan version, use vegan cream cheese or the solid part of a can of coconut cream.
The photos in this post are of a recipe trial with all vegan ingredients and the coconut cream substitution.
More Ingredients Notes
- milk - I use unsweetened almond milk in this recipe but regular dairy milk works too.
- active dry yeast - In the first step, the yeast is added to warm milk. While this will test your yeast for you, it's always a good idea to proof yeast ahead of time so that you don't waste ingredients (the milk in this case).
- gluten-free all purpose flour - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour but any all purpose gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum will work well. If your flour does not include xanthan gum, add ½ teaspoon to the dry ingredients and whisk in.
- butter or vegan butter - With dairy-free milk and vegan butter, this recipe is easily vegan! I like Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks when I use vegan butter. Of course, traditional dairy butter works great too.
- pumpkin pie spice - Use a gluten-free store-bought pumpkin spice blend or try my homemade pumpkin pie spice! It uses just cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, plus a pinch of cloves if you want it more spicy than smooth.
You also need maple syrup, salt, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to make this recipe.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients with quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Learn how to make gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls with these easy step-by-step instructions.
- Milk + Yeast: Warm the milk to 110-115 degrees F in the microwave or on the stove (no more than 120 degrees F, or it could kill the yeast). Then add the ¼ cup of maple syrup and stir to combine. Then add the yeast, stir, and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. After 5 minutes, the mixture should begin frothing. If not, wait an additional 5 minutes. If no frothing occurs, you need to start over because the yeast is bad.
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, psyllium husk powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Then add the milk mixture, pumpkin puree, and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined. Then wait 5 minutes for the dough to solidify.
- Knead: On a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. This adds a little stretch to the dough to help it rise nicely without cracking. When finished, the dough should be soft, smooth, and uniform with a little spring back when poked with a finger. If the dough is too soft, place it in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes before trying again.
- Filling: Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 10 inches by 12 inches. Use your fingers or a silicone brush to smooth the 3 tablespoons of melted butter across the dough, reaching the edges on all except for one of the short sides. On that side, leave a 1-inch margin with no butter or filling. Whisk together the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice before sprinkling it evenly over the butter.
- Roll and rise: Along the longer side (so dough strips are 12 inches long), cut 7 strips of dough that are about 1 ½ inches wide. Roll them snugly from the sugared edge to the bare edge and tuck the end underneath the roll. Arrange the rolls evenly in an 8 or 9 inch cake pan that has been greased or lined with parchment paper. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 - 1 ½ hours or until the rolls double in size.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the rolls on a middle oven rack for 35-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of a pumpkin cinnamon roll is between 190 and 200 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Frosting: Meanwhile, make the frosting by adding the 4 tablespoons of softened butter, cream cheese or coconut cream, vanilla extract, and 1 ½ tablespoons of maple syrup to a bowl. Mix well with an electric mixer. Then add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix in. Add to the top of the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Make professional bakery-style gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls with these expert tips.
Refrigerate the dough if it's too soft.
If it's warm in your home, you may find the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough is more manageable if you place it in the refrigerator for as little as 10 minutes and up to an hour before kneading and rolling. This helps the butter solidify and gives the psyllium husk fiber more time to absorb excess liquid.
Knead the dough a little longer.
For a soft and smooth gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon roll, I recommend at least 5 minutes of lightly kneading the dough. For the most developed dough however (meaning the softest and with the best rise), kneading more like 10-15 minutes through the sticky phase is best.
See the kneading tips in my Gluten-Free Artisan Bread recipe to learn more about kneading gluten-free dough and tests for done-ness.
Sift the powdered sugar in the frosting.
I was making my traditional gluten-free cinnamon roll recipe with my toddler for a photo re-shoot and decided to skip the sifting to save time. The result was a comically lumpy frosting. You can see the photos on the post!
Sifting the powdered sugar will give you truly professional-style icing.
Refrigerate the icing first if it's warm in your home.
If the butter and cream cheese (or coconut cream) are very soft because your home temperature is warm, it will melt right through the warm cinnamon rolls and pool on the bottom.
Let your cinnamon rolls cool for about 20 minutes at room temperature and place the icing in the refrigerator during that time. Then give the icing a big stir before frosting the rolls.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftover gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them as an entire pan (unfrosted) or individually (I usually do this frosted) for up to 2 months.
My favorite way to freeze these gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls is to let them cool, frost them, and then separate the frosted rolls and lay them on a baking sheet in the freezer. This prevents them from sticking together so they can be reheated individually. Let the individual rolls freeze for 2 hours or up to overnight before transferring them to a freezer bag.
When ready to eat, you can warm individual cinnamon rolls until warmed through in the microwave.
To make these gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls overnight, allow them to rise in the refrigerator overnight. After rolling and placing the rolls in the pan, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let them rise until doubled in size. Then bake as directed.
Related gluten-free pumpkin breakfast recipes to consider...
Looking for more gluten-free pumpkin breakfast recipes like these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls? Check these out:
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup milk of choice , I used unsweetened almond milk (235 ml)
- ¼ cup maple syrup (60 ml)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 ¼ cups gluten-free all purpose flour , I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 (308 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons psyllium husk powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (80 ml)
- 4 tablespoons butter or vegan butter (58 grams)
Filling
- 3 tablespoons butter or vegan butter, melted (42 grams)
- ¼ cup brown sugar , lightly packed (50 grams)
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Frosting
- 4 tablespoons butter or vegan butter, softened at room temperature (58 grams)
- ¼ cup cream cheese or the solid part of a can of coconut cream (57 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup (22 ml)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar , sifted for smooth frosting (230 grams)
Instructions
- Milk + Yeast: Warm the milk to 110-115 degrees F in the microwave or on the stove (no more than 120 degrees F, or it could kill the yeast). Then add the ¼ cup of maple syrup and stir to combine. Then add the yeast, stir, and set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. After 5 minutes, the mixture should begin frothing. If not, wait an additional 5 minutes. If no frothing occurs, you need to start over because the yeast is bad.
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, psyllium husk powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Then add the milk mixture, pumpkin puree, and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined. Then wait 5 minutes for the dough to solidify.
- Knead: On a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. This adds a little stretch to the dough to help it rise nicely without cracking. When finished, the dough should be soft, smooth, and uniform with a little spring back when poked with a finger. If the dough is too soft, place it in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes before trying again.
- Filling: Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 10 inches by 12 inches. Use your fingers or a silicone brush to smooth the 3 tablespoons of melted butter across the dough, reaching the edges on all except for one of the short sides. On that side, leave a 1-inch margin with no butter or filling. Whisk together the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice before sprinkling it evenly over the butter.
- Roll and rise: Along the longer side (so dough strips are 12 inches long), cut 7 strips of dough that are about 1 ½ inches wide. Roll them snugly from the sugared edge to the bare edge and tuck the end underneath the roll. Arrange the rolls evenly in an 8 or 9 inch cake pan that has been greased or lined with parchment paper. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 - 1 ½ hours or until the rolls double in size.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the rolls on a middle oven rack for 35-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of a pumpkin cinnamon roll is between 190 and 200 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Frosting: Meanwhile, make the frosting by adding the 4 tablespoons of softened butter, cream cheese or coconut cream, vanilla extract, and 1 ½ tablespoons of maple syrup to a bowl. Mix well with an electric mixer. Then add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix in. Add to the top of the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Carol says
Tried these out as a possible Thanksgiving brunch option for my gf family members. They were outstanding!!! I think I’ll need to double or triple the recipe so there’s enough, since I expect that everyone will want to try them!!
Elizabeth says
These are the best tasting gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Awesome flavor and texture. I used Namaste perfect flour blend and will definitely be making this one again! The entire family loves them, especially the kids. The kids also really enjoyed helping with kneading and rolling the dough.
Brooke says
These gluten-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls are so soft and easy to make! I love the smooth maple icing. I will absolutely be making this for my Fall brunch potluck coming up since I think gluten eaters will love it too! I’m really excited to show it off!